Exploring taboos in search of contentment<\/p>\n
By Mehru Jaffer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): There are many things that bother Rusdy
\nRukmarata, 37, in life, but what he finds most traumatic is the
\nrefusal of people to talk about things that really matter.<\/p>\n
Rusdy detests taboos, especially taboos concerning matters
\nthat are close to the heart. So the alumni of the London
\nContemporary Dance School has created a little world of his own
\nin this money-mad city of Jakarta where like-minded people can
\nopen their hearts and minds to the many other problems that dwarf
\nhuman existence.<\/p>\n
Here, more than 60 youngsters from all over the country and
\nbetween the ages of 17 years and 29 years not only study the art
\nof dance and drama but they live together like a large family,
\nwithout walls, sharing their disappointments and aspirations with
\neach other in the hope of becoming not just professional dancers
\nbut wholesome human beings as well.<\/p>\n
Rusdy does not like the thought of art being treated by
\ncontemporary society as an extracurricular activity. He would
\nlike to see it become an essential part of everyone's life and to
\nmake that dream come true, he stages regular performances at the
\nstudio itself on Jalan Padang, South Jakarta, under an ongoing
\nprogram called Urban Ritual.<\/p>\n
Together with his wife, Aiko, he founded Eksotika
\nKarmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI), a residential studio in 1996 to
\ntry and free the spirit of both the dancers and his audience
\ntoward goals that soar far beyond the material world. Inspired by
\nthe more liberal and tolerant lifestyles of the country's ancient
\npopulation, especially the ones responsible for building the
\nBorobudur temple (Karmawibhangga is the hidden relief at the
\nbottom of the Buddhist temple) Rusdy chooses themes like
\nabortion, sex, lust and marriage for his dance dramas.<\/p>\n
Aiko, managing director of EKI, in fact is convinced that the
\ncause of all present day chaos in the country is due to the
\neasily manipulative man-woman relationship. This theme was
\nexplored extremely creatively in Laki-Laki (Men), EKI's 41st
\nproduction staged in April 1999 and whose essence lay in the
\nelectrifying phrase, \"Sudah to, mas!\" (It's enough dear!)<\/p>\n
Rusdy finds it most frustrating when he is caught socializing
\nin one living room after another and is forced to participate in
\ndiscussions only about politics and the economy. \"These topics
\nare considered so essential while nobody wants to talk about or
\nfind out what is happening in our personal lives,\" complains
\nRusdy.<\/p>\n
Obviously, his mind is not on who will become president or
\nwhat the IMF might think of Indonesia. He is haunted instead by
\nchildhood memories of why the bedroom door of his parents was
\noften kept locked; why he could not walk in when he wanted to be
\nwith them? Being an only child, there was no one in his family
\nwho could answer these questions puzzling the little boy.<\/p>\n
Later in life, Rusdy realized that his parents went through
\ngrave problems but they never talked to him about them. He feels
\nbetrayed that nobody confided in him, despite the rationalization
\nthat they must have wanted to save him the pain, or felt too
\nashamed to talk about the troubles. He still feels left out. He
\ncould have tried to help, but the facade of a happy, harmonious
\nfamily was kept up even as the souls of people who are very near
\nand dear to each other were being ripped apart.<\/p>\n
Rusdy also has other thoughts on his mind, like how to help
\nthe teenager in the family who gets pregnant out of wedlock and
\nabout the dancer who was being sexually molested by her own
\nbrother? Why is it that his wife is understanding when he feels
\nclose to some dancers and throws a fit when he gets close to
\nanother?<\/p>\n
Marriage should ideally increase the love between a man and a
\nwoman, but why is it that so many marriages sour after a while?
\nApart from dancing, the other goal in Rusdy's life is to keep the
\ndoors of communication forever open, not just for his wife and
\nfour children, but also for everyone else he knows in life.<\/p>\n
Rusdy finds Indonesian art and culture infinitely rich but
\nstays away from black and white moral positions highlighted in
\nmost narrations. For there is no good without some evil, and
\nevery evil also has some good, he feels. In his opinion, people
\nlike himself are orang-orang ketiga (third people) who live in
\nthe gray area and who rise up each time to get on with life after
\nhaving hopefully learned from the numerous mistakes they
\nrepeatedly make. That is why he calls his group eksotika as he
\nfeels that each member of the dance company is unique and should
\nbe given the space to bloom to his or her full potential, without
\nanybody sitting in judgment of anybody else.<\/p>\n
The latest recruit to the dance company is an attractive
\nlooking 17 year old from the troubled island of Ambon. Heavily
\ninto drugs and ready to join the army of religious arsonists,
\nAllan's life was transformed once he met Rusdy some three months
\nago. Now he has little time to be destructive as he practices
\ndancing at least for four continuous hours each day and also
\nlearns other aspects of stagecraft. When questioned by The
\nJakarta Post on how he felt as a student of dance he replied,
\n\"Great\".<\/p>\n
But he laughed sheepishly when asked how many people he had
\nhurt in the ethnic violence in Ambon.<\/p>\n
So involved is Rusdy in the personal lives of the members of
\nhis group that he does not have to go very far for inspiration
\nfor his performances. For him, each human being has a fascinating
\nstory and all that he suggests we do is pause and listen. For
\nthose interested in lending an ear to EKI, the Exotic Millennium
\nArt Festival will be held in the surreal surroundings of
\nMegamendung, on July 11 and July 12 at Amerta, the open air stage
\ntucked away in the mountains of West Java.<\/p>\n
For further inquiries, call 8312377 or 8313029, fax 8314950 or
\ne-mail eksotika@indo.net.id.<\/p>",
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